Warped Reflection
by Kishite no Mirror
Summary: Shun's no stranger to the bizarre, but this takes the cake. Now he's stuck in another dimension, trying to save another version of his own brothers with the gods trying to kill him at every turn. slight slash warning.
1. Prologue: What do you mean, not OUR Shun

BH-I should be working on Life and Death and Lovestruck, not feeding another plot bunny... Oh well, Life and Death is on N-Zero (who is still down for the count till I get a new charger cable) and I AM writing the next chapter of Lovestruck, so don't get mad at me! If I don't get my new charger soon, I'll just have to re-write the next L&D chapter.

Belzebub-How Long have you been saying that?

BH-Shut up, Romeo, or I won't let you see Bel.

Belzebub-...

BH-Anyway, the plot bunny for the universe Shun's going to get dropped into has been bouncing around in my head for about two years now and I finally decided to kick myself in the ass and write it down a couple months ago... a 512kb oneshot is the end result... and that's not even the beginning... anyway, I needed a way to introduce Godchild-verse, so I chose to pull another parallel dimension fic to do it.

Rhane-_slaps her forehead_ Idiot...

Christ-Be nice, Rhane

BH-Before I kill my muses, on with the show! Ikki, do my disclaimer!

Ikki-No.

BH-SHUUUN-CHAN!

Shun-_Gives Ikki evil puppy-dog eyes of doom_

Ikki-**Saint Seiya is property of Masami Kurumada-sensei. The Godchild Saga, its cast, and the Godchild Saints' personalities are all property of BH. Deimos and Phobos are property of Kami Solomon.** Now can I leave?

BH-_Throws Ikki a cookie_ Good boy.

_"If I got a yen every time she made one of those idiotic speeches I'd be richer than Pegasus and Kaiba combined," _-Bakura, Bloodstained Messiah

**_Warped Reflection_**

**Prologue**

Ikki groaned and rolled over, blindly groping around for that damn incessantly ringing cell phone and successfully managed to knock over his lamp before finding it. Cursing Saori for all he was worth for forcing him to carry the thing, he flipped the wretched thing open and shouted "What!" into the receiver before bothering to check the number.

"Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed," Seiya's agitating voice drifted through the earpiece.

"Shut up, Seiya," Ikki grumbled, not bothering to open his eyes as he groped his way over to the hotel room's refrigerator to retrieve his half-empty bottle of vodka from it, "What do you want?"

"Didn't you just tell me to shut up?"

Ikki's eye twitched, "Damnit Seiya..."

"Okay, okay! Look, don't get all worked up or anything, but Shun's missing." "WHAT!" "Didn't I just say not to get worked up? We think he's-"

Seiya's voice was drowned out by someone knocking on the room's door. Growling for Seiya to shut up for a minute, Ikki walked over to the door to let Shun in without bothering to open his eyes. "Found him," he muttered into the cell phone before shutting it with an snap. "You had them worried, you know," he grumbled at Shun.

"I left a note on the mantlepiece for them," Shun replied quietly.

Ikki cracked an eye open. Something sounded wrong about his little brother's voice. He blearily studied the younger saint for a moment, "What's wrong with your hair?" He was waking up now, "And your eyes?"

Shun gave him an odd look, unconsciously reaching for the small cluster of grey hair hanging in front of his ear, "Are you alright, nii-san?"

Ikki blinked and brought his hand up to tap the scar on Shun's cheek, "And your face?"

_/ How Do I Always get Myself Into These Messes? \\\_

"What do you mean 'not our Shun'?" Ikki winced at the resonating calm in the voice on the other line. "This better not be some kind of demented joke, peacock, or I'll be using your hide for a rug." There was a sudden yelp that could only be Seiya getting forcibly removed from wherever he had been.

"You think I'd joke about something like this?" Ikki snarled, glaring acid at the phone in his hand, "You can tell our brothers by looking at them; it's like that. He's my little brother, he's Shun, but he's not OUR Shun."

"Then where in Athena's name is OUR Shun, oh wise and wonderful Ikki-sama?" The other line was silent for several minutes, save for the sound of Seiya shouting "Lemme go you psycho!" at the top of his lungs. Finally, "...Bring him back to the mansion, I think I've got an idea, but I need to talk to the Gold Saints, Kanon is I can."

"Kan-" Ikki began indignantly, but he was cut off by a resonating click in his ear. He glared incredulously at the cell phone, "The runt hung up on me..."

"Nii-san?" Shun asked, poking his head into the small kitchen Ikki was currently pacing. Ikki froze and turned to face him. Nope, still not his Shun. "What's wrong?"

Ikki studied the younger boy. Yes, it was Shun, but he looked more like the Shun he'd tried to kill so long ago, not the one who had dived into a battle with Aphrodite and her minions a few weeks ago and single-handedly defeated the goddess of love while Ikki was facing off against Poseidon with the rest of the bronze boys. He wasn't wearing Hades' pendant either. Oh shit.

"We're going back to the mansion," Ikki announced grimly, "something's seriously wrong."

If Shun had any misgivings about this, he did not voice them. He simply followed quietly and did whatever Ikki told him to. In reality, it was a little unnerving. The Shun he was used to would have prodded him and given him those disgusting puppy dog eyes until he cracked.

They drove the five hours back to Tokyo in silence, broken only by Ikki occasionally cursing and muttering to himself. Whatever they expected to find when they arrived at the mansion near midnight, it wasn't the entire place alive and buzzing.

"What's going on?" Ikki muttered as they got out, "They wouldn't stay up just to wait for us..."

They found the remaining bronze saints gathered in the music room with a girl near their age, which struck Shun as extremely odd. They were all gathered in a circle around a large table with papers scattered across it. Shun blinked, and they all seemed to be in various states of having just been woken up.

"What's going on?" Ikki asked from the doorway, "Don't tell me you decided to have a party without us?"

"Attacks," the girl waved offhandedly at them, "Every saint training center in the world in under 24 hours..." Her head shot up and bright green and red eyes darted from Ikki to Shun and back, "About time! I was starting to worry!"

"How touching," Ikki muttered, "you finally admit you care!"

Hyoga gave a rueful snort and the girl grinned darkly, "Why the hell would I worry about a bipolar peacock with an Oedipus complex? I was worried about Shun, you've probably scared the poor boy half to death by now."

Shun found the behavior of this strange, starburst-eyed girl far more frightening than anything his brother had done thus far. He was struck by the urge to cower behind Ikki, though no one else seemed fazed by her behavior. She growled and walked over to them, stopping so close to Shun that he could feel her breath. Shun took a step back.

"Ikki's got him scared?" Hyoga muttered, "He's petrified of you."

"Shut up, Russian," she replied, turning back to glare at the blonde before turning her eyes directly on Shun's. He took another step back out of pure surprise. The green in her irises was dark and haunted but around them was red, bright and alive and reaching out in tendrils for the edges of her eyes. A hand touched Shun's cheek and he tried to leap back in surprise, but his feet were stuck. "Calm down, Shu-chan, I'm not going to bite you. It's me."

Shun found himself wanting to lean in to her touch, to let himself take comfort in her presence, but he was afraid. Finally, he managed to step back, "I-I'm sorry." He stared at her face, trying to understand what about those eyes was so terrifying, but all he could see was that consuming fire in them. "I don't know who you are."

As he said that, the doors burst open and Daichi came running into the room, "Ushio's been attacked! There's something going on at Death Queen Island!"

A brief look of shock and sorrow crossed the girl's face before she turned to Daichi and her eyes went emotionless, "What happened?"

Daichi's eyes were wide and frantic as he turned to the girl, "He went to Death Queen Island like you and Seiya told him to and he got attacked, said something about black saints and then the line died."

The girl swore and wheeled around to face the saints still standing around the table, "I'm going after him."

"Absolutely not!" Ikki shouted at the same time that Seiya began yelling and Shiryu and Hyoga said, more than a little harshly, "No."

"Elektra, you're going to get yourself killed," Shiryu reasoned over Seiya's shouting.

"May I remind you what happened last time you set foot on that hell hole?" Ikki growled.

She gave him a withering look, "No need, Phoenix, I remember all too well." She turned to Hyoga, "Look after Shun for us till Ikki and I get back." She smiled, "Not that I really need to tell you."

The freezing glare she received for the comment made Shun wince in sympathy.

"Us?" Ikki repeated slowly, "Elektra..."

"You're the only one who knows the island," Elektra replied shortly, "We have to find Ushio and get to Sanctuary. You're my best shot at finding him."

"Nee-chan?" Daichi spoke up.

"No, Daichi," Elektra hissed, "They need you here."

"But-"

"No buts. Sho would have my head."

Daichi glared, "If Shun were asking you-"

"Shun is also older than you and he's seen a hell of a lot more than you have," Elektra replied, "and this is something I wouldn't even let him do."

"Who the hell put you in charge anyway, Lyra?" Seiya snapped suddenly.

Elektra glared, "Stay out of this, Pegasus. He's _my _little brother."

"Mine too!"

"He's my responsibility!"

"And you're _both _mine!"

"Says who!"

"Saori-san!"

"When have I ever listened to that pampered princess!"

Hyoga gave an exasperated sigh and stepped between the two of them, placing one hand on Seiya's chest and the other pressed two fingers to Elektra's forehead, "Can the two of you save your pissing contest for after we save Ushio and get everyone to Sanctuary, please?" He turned to glare Seiya, "You need to keep an eye out for stragglers that haven't made it to one of the havens yet," then to Elektra, "And you," his eyes softened slightly, "if it were me in that position you wouldn't hesitate to let me come. No buts, Elektra," she had just opened her mouth to retort, "besides, what kind of sister can't protect her baby brother?"

Elektra sighed and stepped back, "Fine. He can come. Sho's going to kill me."

Daichi shot Hyoga a 'Thank you' look and ran out to collect his armor.

"If he gets in the way..." Ikki warned.

"He won't get in the way, Ikki," Elektra waved absently at Ikki, "You forget that he was sent away the same as the rest of us were and spent four years training under the Gold Saints themselves. He's a tough little kid." She turned back to Shun, "Hyoga'll fill you in on what's happened, including what your _dear_ brother most likely decided not to tell you before. After we get Ushio, Ikki, Daichi, and I will head straight to Sanctuary to talk to Kanon." Seiya gave a sound similar to an angry dog. "Shut up, Seiya, I don't have any choice in the matter, since Saga decided to go and kill himself and they're the only ones who have enough knowledge of other dimensions to help us."

"Dimensions?" Ikki asked blankly.

"Time to do," Daichi announced, "Doc's got a plane waiting for us."

Elektra smiled and moved towards Shun so quickly it scared him, "We'll see you soon, Shu-chan," she smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "Try to keep Hyoga out of trouble, and once you get to Sanctuary I would prefer you staying with Shaka, he's the best protection I can give you since you don't have Hades' pendant right now."

Ikki gave Shun a reassuring smile before turning and following Daichi and Elektra out of the room. Shun watched them go before turned to Hyoga, who was watching him with something akin to worry.

"Those eyes can be scary at times," Hyoga mused wryly, gesturing in the vague direction of the kitchen, "Come on. I'll explain what I can."


	2. On Bets, Fights, and Unholy Hellspawn

BH-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

**Disclaimer:Goddamnit, lemme alone! I'm runnin' on 72 hours without sleep!**

_"There's a big difference between pacifism and being unwilling to fight. Pacifists are cowards andidealists who foolishly believe that humans are truly capable of existing without the need to fight against each other; they are afraid. I may not like to fight, but I'm not a pacifist and I'm not a coward. 'To protect those you love you must have the strength to do so, and you must be willing to fight, even kill, for their sakes,' a girl you know all too welltold me that when we were children, but I didn't understand it until now." -_Shun speaking to Pisces Aphrodite inBroken Chains

**_Warped Reflection_**

**Chapter 1**

_On Bets, Fights, and Observant Hellspawn_

Shun leaned over the balcony and sighed. He'd been worried at first, when he realized that he had somehow stumbled into another dimension, but he wasn't now. It was strange of course, everyone acted just a little differently. Shiryu didn't joke as much and kept his eyes shut. Ikki was a little more over-protective and Saori a little closer to all of them. Hyoga had worried him, though. The Hyoga he was used to was cold and aloof, yes, but not like this. His Hyoga smiled and teased and froze Seiya and Elektra's feet to the ground when they started fighting. And that was the other thing. In this dimension, there was no Elektra.

"There you are."

Shun turned around to face Hyoga, "Sorry. I like to come out here when I'm thinking. Were you looking for me?"

Hyoga nodded, "Dinner's ready and Ikki and Seiya are starting to fight again." Shun rolled his eyes. Even without Elektra, it seemed Seiya always found someone to fight with. Hyoga stepped up next to him and leaned over the balcony, "This was my room when we were children, wasn't it?"

Shun nodded, "It still is, in my dimension. It's got the best view in the mansion," he pointed to the courtyard, "but there's a garden there, the most beautiful I've ever seen," he paused, smiling, "other than the one in the Pisces temple. There's flowers that you'll never find anywhere else."

"There's a garden in the Pisces temple?" Hyoga asked blankly.

Shun giggled, "Yes. It was Aphrodite's pride and joy, and now that he's dead Elektra and I tend it, though it mostly takes care of itself. The way she talks about him sometimes, you'd never know that he tried to kill me." He rolled his eyes, "I think Aphrodite's the only one who she'd ever forgive for committing such a heinous crime."

Hyoga gave something that might have been a chuckle, "She sounds like Ikki."

"But if you froze nii-san's mouth shut he'd probably try to kill you,"

Hyoga's eyebrow arched, making Shun giggle again, "And why would I do that?"

"You do all the time in my dimension. You freeze Seiya and Elektra's feet to the floor, too. It's the only thing that keeps them from ripping each other's throats out sometimes."

"Hey you two! Our food's getting cold!"

Hyoga and Shun looked at Ikki standing in the doorway, then looked at each other and Hyoga very nearly smiled. "Sorry, nii-san," Shun apologized, "We're coming."

Shun watched Hyoga for a moment longer, trying to imagine how his own version of the ice saint was reacting to the situation. With a wry smile he followed his brothers out of the room. His Hyoga was probably too busy trying to keep Elektra and Ikki under control to think of much else.

"C'mon, Shun!"

/ _Some things just never change _

"We'll be there in a few minutes," Seiya announced as he appeared from the front of the plane, "How's Shun doing?" He didn't need to ask. Shun was fast asleep, leaning on Hyoga's shoulder in a way that anyone else, save possibly Elektra, would have gotten Diamond Dusted for. "How cute."

"Shut up, Seiya," Hyoga growled.

"Stop bickering, you two," Shiryu sighed, "it's bad enough when Elektra and Seiya try to beat each other up."

At that moment Shun lurched awake and Hyoga hand to catch him before he fell out if his seat. He struggled against Hyoga's arms for a moment before falling limp, shaking in the elder's grip.

"Calm down, Shun," Hyoga whispered, pulling Shun close to him, "it's okay. You're safe."

Shun rested his head against Hyoga's shoulder, gasping and shaking, for several minutes. When he had finally calmed down he sat back and sighed, "I'm sorry... I..."

"It's alright," Shiryu replied, "we're used to seeing the after-affects of nightmares."

"What did you see?" Hyoga asked, worry laced in his calm voice.

Shun shuddered, "There was this woman... a beautiful woman with gold hair... and she had Elektra-san by the neck, choking her, yelling at her... but Elektra-san was smiling..."

"Aphrodite," Hyoga muttered.

"Blood... she was hurt so badly... Elektra-san was bleeding everywhere... and her eyes... they were so cold... and the boy..."

"Boy?" Shiryu sat up a little.

"His eyes... they were completely empty... soulless... he said something... something about being the one to kill onee-chan..." Shun stopped, shaking his head, "and then... nothing but blood..."

"I think," Shiryu mused, "we just found out what happened to Shun and Elektra while we were fighting Poseidon."

The ringing silence that followed lasted till they reached the ground. They stepped off the plane and found a harassed and exhausted-looking Scorpio Milo waiting for them. He studied Shun for a moment, taking in the obvious differences from the last time he'd seen the Andromeda Saint, then turned and led them to the car waiting to take them to Sanctuary.

"Hyoga-kun?" Shun whispered as they walked.

"Poseidon and Aphrodite attacked us at the same time to split us up and make it easier to kill our Shun. Poseidon and Kanon took most of our attention, but while we were on our way to fight them Aphrodite and her minions interfered. Aphrodite very nearly killed Shun and, in a rage, Elektra went chasing after her to another realm. It's a bad habit of hers."

"Bad habit?" Seiya mocked, "More like a permanent death wish."

Hyoga rolled his eyes, "When you, when our Shun found out he told us to go on ahead. He was going to make sure Elektra didn't try to commit suicide again, and he took Sho, Ushio, and Daichi with them." He looked up at the early dawn sky above them, "Whatever happened that day, they never told us. All we know is that Sho, Ushio, and Daichi got separated from them while they were fighting Aphrodite's subordinates, Shun fought and killed Aphrodite on his own, and Elektra..." he trailed off.

"She's been outta character ever since," Seiya finished, "last night was the first time I've gotten her to argue with me since that day. She's been really over-protective, too, like the way she reacted when Ikki told her about you."

"When she came back," Shiryu added, "she said something to Aioria, and it set him off as well. He locked himself in the Leo temple for two weeks, according to Mu. I think it has something to do with the boy you saw in your dream, Shun."

Milo stopped and looked back at the four bronze saints, "I know you're worried about your sister, but what happened that day is the only secret she and Shun have ever kept from you. Give them time, and they'll tell you when they're ready."

"You know, don't you?" Seiya accused.

Milo shook his head and continued walking, "I've got an idea, but the only ones outside of your siblings that know exactly what happened are Shaka and Aioria. Now come on, the others are waiting for us."

_/ Of Gods, Men, and Unholy Hellspawn _

**"Are you telling me that you aren't the ones who caused the attacks?" **

We had no hand in it, Siddhartha 

Whatever attacked the saint training grounds was not of our power

Or even of this dimension

**"What?" **

The being that has taken up residence on Death Queen Island was not born in this dimension 

We have no power over him

**"Who is he?" **

He is of the Godchildren 

In whose veins runs the blood of our brother

But he is much more

"Shaka?" Shaka sighed and tilted his head in the direction of his visitor, to show he was listening, "The boys just arrived. Elektra, Ikki, and Daichi are on Death Queen Island right now, attempting to save Ushio."

"Idiot girl," Shaka muttered, hand tightening around his prayer beads.

"At least she's not by herself this time. Did the gods have anything useful to say?"

Shaka gave a bitter smile that would have made Hyoga proud, "They're as clueless as we are."

"I see. I was afraid of that," he turned and began to walk out of the temple, "You've been given orders to watch over Shun, by the way. He doesn't have Hades' pendant, so he's extremely vulnerable."

"Great," Shaka muttered, "I finally get rid of one kid and I get another one." He sighed and stood up, intent on checking to make sure there was still edible food in his makeshift kitchen, "And Mu?"

"Yes?"

"Your student is an observant little hellspawn."

Mu chuckled and shot the Virgo saint a loving smile, "I'm pretty sure he picked it up form Elektra while she was in Jamir with us." A sudden, frightening thought burst into his mind, "Oh dear..."

Shaka gave an involuntary shiver, "I think I'm going to meditate some more," and sat down again.

'How,' Mu thought as he left, 'do I get myself into these things?' Kiki greeted him at the door to the Aries temple with a knowing smile normally associated with Seiya and Mu's heart sank. It seemed that Kiki had, indeed, found out about their secret.

_/ Please wait while we transfer you to the Elysian Fields _

"Aiolos?"

The Sagittarius saint rolled onto his back to look up at his two younger siblings. Two pairs of starburst green eyes stared down at him, one set half-hidden under longer reddish-orange bangs and the other marred by a bruise around it. Ashra, long of hair and temper, more mature than any two of his other siblings and Rowan, effeminate enough to rival Shun and sporting short, red-orange hair that gave him the 'stuck-your-finger-in-a-light-socket' look, save for a thin braid of hair that protruded from behind one ear. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of them, "They're at it again."

Ashra rolled his eyes and sat down on the lake's edge next to Aiolos, "Who'd they piss off this time?"

Aiolos shrugged, "Not sure yet."

"Care to take bets?" Rowan asked cheerfully.

Aiolos grunted and rolled back onto his stomach to watch Elektra and Ikki arguing in the lake, "Twenty American on Elektra getting back to Sanctuary more beaten up than the other three combined..."

Ashra snorted, "Who needs to bet on that? She's always doing that. Remember the fight with the silver saints?"

"And Sanctuary?" Rowan added.

"And Poseidon's cronies?"

"And-"

"I get it!" Aiolos interjected, "What about Mu and Shaka?"

Rowan shook his head, "Not yet. They won't just to spite their students."

The view in the lake turned to the Aries temple, where Mu was arguing with Kiki about Shaka. Most of the argument consisted off "Do not"s and "Do so"s, completely out of character for the normally stoic saint.

"Could it be any more obvious that they're in love?" a voice chimed from behind them.

Aiolos smiled as a young woman with long, blue-green hair knelt on the grass at Ashra's side, "What's this rumor I heard about my son getting sent to another dimension?"

The view in the lake shifted to a Shun with a single streak of grey in his hair and a scar on his cheek immersed in a game of mahjong with Hyoga, Shiryu, and Seiya, then changed again to the normal-looking Shun sitting with Hyoga in the Aries temple and sweatdropping at Kiki and Mu's argument.

"Looks like the work of Hades' pendant," she mused wryly, biting her knuckle, "Something big is going on upstairs, isn't it?"

"Looks like it," Rowan mumbled, "Got any ideas, Kasumi-san?"

The image in the lake suddenly shifted again, this time to Death Queen Island. Elektra was sitting on her knees next to a badly injured Ushio, obviously trying to repair what she could of his wounds. There was a large gash in her side and her face and arms were burned. Ikki and Daichi were on either side of them, looking for all the world like that were going to jump and shoot anything that moved.

"Poor kids," Kasumi whispered, "to be born in the time of another Holy War. They've had to fight so much."

"Honestly, Kasumi-sensei," Aiolos murmured, "can you imagine them anywhere else? Even if they've been through a lot, and seen more pain than any child should endure, can you really see them as anything else?"

Kasumi looked down at the rippling image, Ikki with a protective hand on Elektra's shoulder as she sewed shut a gash in Ushio's arm and Daichi, so similar and yet so different from her own young son, resting so close to Ushio's side they almost touched. Despite their obvious nervousness, and the reality that they might not escape, there was a calmness to them, an unearthly ease that they had all come to associate with the children of Mitsumasa Kido.

"No," Kasumi answered honestly, "they're really meant for this life."

Rowan stared down at the image, a sad half smile crossing his face, "Kasumi-san?"

"Hai, Rowan-kun?"

"You told me one insanity runs in your family, right?"

Kasumi nodded sadly, "It's part of our bloodline, I'm afraid."

Rowan sighed, "What's to stop Ikki from going crazy and trying to kill them again? Or worse, what if something made Shun snap? Elektra can't fight him."

"Ikki's already insane, Rowan," Ashra admonished, "his loyalty to his siblings is the only thing that keeps him attached to reality, same with Elektra. And as for Shun..."

Aiolos sighed, "Shun's stronger than he looks; I doubt anything could set him off now, short of seeing Hyoga, Elektra, and Ikki mercilessly raped and murdered right in front of him within a few minutes of each other. But if circumstances had been different," he shuddered, "I don't even want to think about that. If Ikki's any testament..."

"Are you sure, nii-sama?" Rowan asked.

Aiolos nodded, "You've got nothing to worry about, Rowan, our girl's in good hands." He grinned, "At least until Hades and Zeus awaken."

In the lake, Elektra now had a gold bow in her hands and was aiming an ebony arrow at a fleeing black saint. Another tried to jump her from behind, but Ikki blocked him. Daichi was grappling with a third and Ushio was fighting off another one.

_/ Only Time Will Tell _

Shun awoke to shouting. With a sigh he rolled over to check the clock on his night stand, only to find it not there. With a groan he sat up and looked around. This wasn't his room, either.

Then he remembered: he was in another dimension, more specifically, the Virgo temple of the other dimension. Oh well. With a sigh he got up to see what all the fuss was.

Aioria and Seiya were shouting at each other with Milo and Shiryu trying desperately to restrain them. Hyoga and Shaka were sitting off to one side, both calmly drinking from cups of steaming tea.

"Shouldn't you try to stop them?" Shun asked quietly as he sat down next to Hyoga.

They simply shook their heads as Seiya made another attempt to punch Aioria, but only succeeded in elbowing Shiryu in the face.

"They'll calm down eventually," Hyoga replied with a small shrug, "probably around the time Milo or Shiryu accidentally get knocked unconscious or seriously hurt." He took at sip from his tea, "Though I've really never seen those two get angry at each other before."

"Aioria's been acting strange since the fight with Poseidon," Shaka murmured, "and Seiya's simply strange."

Hyoga's mouth twitched and Shun giggled. "What are they fighting about anyway?" Shun asked.

Shaka shrugged, "Whatever it is, I wish they'd take it out of my temple. Seiya and Shiryu came to speak to the two of you, obviously, and Aioria was probably just passing through. I really didn't notice them until they started shouting." Shun and Hyoga sweatdropped. Shaka pulled another cup of tea from Athena-knows-where and handed it to Shun, "May as well sit back and enjoy the show."

"And yes," Hyoga muttered, "in this dimension, this is quite normal."

Shun didn't know whether to giggle or worry. After an hour and several cups of tea and several more bruises for Shiryu and Milo, the elders simply released Aioria and Seiya, who promptly knocked each other unconscious with a single punch a piece. Milo growled and rubbed his head where Aioria's skull had collided with his own, "I can't believe that actually worked."

Shiryu gave a small smile and touched his eye, which was starting to bruise, "Let them waste enough energy trying to escape... Master Roshi suggested it."

"Mind if we join you three?" Milo asked, looking over at Shaka, Hyoga, and Shun.

Two more cups of tea were pulled seemingly from air and handed two the two injured saints, "I'm amazed at your patience for those two."

"So are we," Shiryu muttered, "By the way, we got word from Daichi early this morning. Elektra managed to get knocked out fighting a black saint," he shook his head, "so they'll be a little late." He said it as though they were simply late to dinner. Hyoga snorted into his cup and Milo rolled his eyes.

"Idiot girl," Shaka muttered and took another sip of his tea.

Shun studied the group for a moment, noting how familiar they all seemed to be with each other. He'd certainly never seen his Shaka this laid back before. With a small smile, he wondered what the other Shun was doing right now.

_/ Family is Family, Blood is Blood, and Heaven is So Overated _

**Crack!** Hyoga, Seiya and Kiki stared in unashamed, open-mouthed shock. Had Shun really just done that?

Shun grimaced and massaged his knuckles, "I didn't want to do that, you know."

The man he'd just knocked out lay on the ground, twitching; the hand he'd tried to grope Shun with was crushed. Seiya stared some more. "I miss the nice Shun," Kiki muttered, hiding behind Shiryu's legs.

Shun turned his emerald and obsidian eyes back on Shiryu, "Now, what were you saying, Shiryu-kun?"

Shiryu's eyebrow arched, "Saori-san wants us to come to Sanctuary. She thinks she may know a way to get you back to your own dimension."

"She's wasting her time," Shun replied with a sad smile, "not that I don't appreciate the effort, but my pendant," he gestured to the silver star hanging around his neck, "won't let me return till whatever danger it sensed in my dimension has left."

The man on the ground gave a small groan and sat up, rubbing his head. Shun turned and smiled sweetly down at him, "Now, have we learned our lesson," his eyes darkened and his smile turned cruel, "you filthy pervert?"

The man whimpered and scurried off as fast as his fat legs could carry him.

"I'll be happy when we get our Shun back," Seiya muttered weakly.

Hyoga, Shiryu, and Kiki nodded mutely.


	3. On Family, Stupid Girls, and Confessions

This is a really quick, last minute, not quite edited/revised update before I fly out to Iowa tomorrow morning for my nephew's wedding. I'm trying (and having little luck) in explaing the Godchild universe a little better. Sorry for confusing everyone (I've been confusing myself, too, if that helps at all) I should probably point out which universe the current part of the story is taking place in. From this point on, it'll be mostly Godchild universe, since that's where the meat of the story takes place. There'll be a few sidetrips back to the canon universe and the Elysian Fields where AioRos (happy, Cross-chan?) and co. are hanging out, mostly for comic relief. Back in the last chapter, the Shun at the beginning (standing out on the balcony) and end is the Godchild Shun (he's got a little bit of a sadistic streak that comes out at odd moments.) (Hope that explained it a little, Yume-san) The first chapter was intended to be a little confusing, but the first part was the Ikki from the canon universe, the second (and longer) part was the Godchild universe. Godchild's Shun has a black ring at the edge of his irises (don't ask me how that happened, because I really haven't decided yet, just that it's related to his bloodline) and a scar on his cheek from fighting the goddess Aphrodite. (Anyone besides me getting annoyed with trying to differentiate between the goddess Aphrodite and the saint Aphrodite? Yeesh, it's easy enough talking/thinking because you can just pronounce them differently.)

And Elektra's an OC (plot bunny/present/dedication to a very dear friend of mine), she's the saint of Lyra (okay, okay, those who know the Hades chapter, don't kill me, if you want an explination just ask me and I'll PM the details to you, I've got a few beta readers that I don't want to know the full plotline for Godchild yet) and there's a really REALLY long backstory as to why she doesn't wear as mask (most of the time) that mostly consists of she spent most of her training pretending to be a boy and she goes out of her way to ignore Athena's rules as much as possible.

For those who were wondering, Kasumi is Shun and Ikki's mother (that gets explained in this chapter, as do a few other added characters.) Also, the Godchild universe combines traits from both the manga (like the bronze saints knowing that they're brothers) and the anime (the steel saints) while the canon universe is manga only. I will openly admit to (apparently) contradicting a few things that will happen in the Hades chapter. Those who've read/seen it, don't spoil it for everyone else (this might make a little more sense to you, though, because, despite what I may be saying, I did NOT change any of the major aspects of Hades, especially not his reincarnation.)

And, thanks for pointing this out to me, Damien-kun, Aruna and Elektra are the same person. Aruna is a name that Shaka gave her when she was a kid, I'll explain that a bit more in the next chapter. I'll give a cookie to the first person who can figure out where the title Godchild came from (I'll give you a hint, it's got nothing to do with godparents, and a clue, it's got everything to do with godparents)

And, for those who knew that I was going into surgery earlier this morning, it's probably quite obvious by now that I'm fine. I'm gonna have an inch and a half scar on my leg, but there's no other damage, and the pathology report comes in next week. We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean 2 after the surgery and I order everyone who reads this to go see that movie, it's awesome! And the ending! dies

**I don't own Saint Seiya, blah blah blah, I'm tired.**

_"It's easy to die for someone, but are you willing to live for them?" -Frankly, I'm not sure of the origin of this quote (probably from some movie I watched with Daddy at three am) but it's something that gets said in the Godchild universe a lot._

**_Warped Reflection_**

**Chapter 2**

_On Family Histories, Stupid Girls, and Half-Confessions_

Seiya and Aioria were lying side by side a few feet away from the small group, completely oblivious to the conversation going on nearby. Shun glanced sideways at the two saints before turning back to Shiryu, Milo, Hyoga, and Shaka.

"Elektra's going to love this," Hyoga mused, following Shun's gaze, "our valiant leader's too busy fighting her older brother to worry about fighting our enemies."

"She's the one who got herself knocked out fighting a black saint," Milo deadpanned.

Shiryu smiled, "That would be a sister complex at it's finest, Milo-san." Shaka held his hand up, effectively ending the conversation. "Shaka?" Shiryu asked, turning his sightless gaze on the blonde.

"Chryses..." Shaka shook his head slowly, finally resting with an unseeing glare on Shun, "the lying fools..."

"Crisis?" Milo repeated slowly.

Shaka stood up, head turned in the direction of Death Queen Island, "Are the gods really so desperate as to summon a being stronger than they are?"

All eyes turned to Shaka, but the Virgo saint simply shook his head and returned to his normal meditation spot, remaining stubbornly silent. Shaking his head, Milo got up and collected Aioria's unconscious body, "I'd get some rest you three. I'm not sure when our next chance to will come. If Shaka's acting like this, all hell's probably about to break loose."

Hyoga had gone several shades of white and was gazing fixedly on Shaka. "Hyoga-kun?" Shun asked uncertainly.

"I've heard that name before," Hyoga muttered, "from my master..." He ran his hand through his blonde locks, shaking his head.

"Chryses was a priest of Apollo, wasn't he?" Shiryu asked.

"Maybe then," Hyoga replied, "but the Chryses Shaka's talking about, I'm sure... the Crystal Saint told me that Chryses is the name of Hades' reincarnation." (BH-waits for the inevitable uproar from fans who've read/watched the Hades chapter Yare, Yare desu ne...)

"How could he know something like that?" Shun asked worriedly.

Hyoga glanced sideways at Shaka, "It's one of the things that Shaka warned all of Aioros' siblings about when we were kids. I'm sure they knew a lot more than that, but they took those secrets to the grave with them."

"I didn't realize that Aioros had any other siblings," Shun mused, "Other than Aioria."

"There were thirteen of them grand total, eleven full blood siblings and two half-siblings," Shiryu explained, "all the children of the reincarnation of the goddess Aphrodite, but they had two different father. The oldest were the sons of a madman named Morizan, the last two, the twins, were the children of Mitsumasa Kido. All but three of them are dead now, Aioria and the twins."

"What happened to them?"

"Ares had them killed."

"Always the blunt one, aren't you, Sho?" Hyoga smiled at the blue haired steel saint as he approached the group.

Sho shrugged and smiled wryly at Shun, "Aioros and the seven oldest were assassinated, Aioros by Shura and the others by Aphrodite and Deathmask. Kage lingered on as a damned soul under Ares control just long enough to cause us all a lot of hell, then he finally destroyed his own soul. One of them, Ashra got killed during our training here in Sanctuary by this crazy bastard named Marik, though Ares no doubt had a hand in it." He paused, eyes coming to rest on Hyoga.

"And the last one?" Shun asked quietly.

Sho smiled grimly, then his eyes turned sad and distant, "Rowan... Rowan died on Death Queen Island. He got killed saving Elektra from her own stupid promise." There was bitterness in his voice, almost hatred, but Shun couldn't help but notice the small, loving smile that rose when he spoke of Elektra's 'stupid promise'. Sho turned quickly away from them and his eyes fell on Aioria and Seiya, passed out on the floor, "What happened to them?"

Two days passed in relative silence. Shun successfully dragged a little more information out of the other saints about the infamous Elektra, but nothing of real importance. Everyone dodged around talking about her, many, it seemed, unintentionally. Many times he would be on the verge of learning something seemingly important when something would interrupt them. All he really knew about her was that she was a Kido orphan and had made a promise to Ikki to watch over him. Sho respected her, Kiki adored her (and swore that he was going to marry her some day!), Seiya utterly despised her ("Damn her, making us wait!"), and, understandably, she drove every law-abiding saint crazy.

"You'll simply have to get the answer from her yourself." Shun was lurched out his thoughts by Shaka. He spun around to face the gold saint, a little stunned to see him without his armor and carrying around a steaming mug of tea like a semi-normal person. "The gods are trying to force a rift between you and the other bronze saints, primarily between you and Aruna. They fear you above all others, Shun, but their fear is greatly decreased so long as that rift stands." A bemused smile graced him, "And no, I'm not a mind reader." A brief look of surprise flickered across Shun's face. "Your cosmos behaves much the same way as my student's does when something is troubling her. After six years of dealing with her, I would hope I would be able to read her a little better than most."

"Elektra-san... was your student?" Shun asked quietly.

Shaka only nodded slightly and turned towards the temple's entrance. Ikki was standing there, Daichi and Ushio on either side of him with what looked like a bundle of bloody rags in his arms. All three looked worse for ware, Daichi had a black eye and several long gashes on his torso and face and Ushio seemed to have lost a fight with a barbed wire fence, sporting dozens of deadly looking cuts. Ikki smiled grimly and almost limped towards Shaka. "I think this is yours," he grunted, dropping the bundle of rags into Shaka's arms.

Only then did Shun realize that bundle of rags was, in fact, a body.

"Stupid girl," Shaka grumbled tiredly. He gracefully sat down and rested Elektra's head on his leg, brushing her blood caked hair away from her face, "What happened?"

"They ambushed us and... something," Ikki shook his head violently; "something cornered the runt and pulled her away from us. When she finally got back to us, she looked like that. She finally passed out on the way back here."

Shun swore he saw Shaka roll his eyes. The gold saint placed his hand on Elektra's chest and a soft golden glow began spreading across her body. After a moment Shaka tilted his head up at Daichi, "Go get Mu. I can't repair broken bones as well as he can, and her cloth will need repairing as well." Daichi nodded and ran out of the temple without a word.

"Kiki's going to have all Sanctuary in here in a few minutes," Ushio warned, "the way he acts every time he sees Elektra." Shaka's mouth gave a slight twitch, but he remained silent.

A few minutes later, Mu arrived looking for all the world like he was taking a stroll through the park with a harassed-looking Aioria and an annoyed Seiya following on his heels. Aioria took one look at Elektra and opened his mouth to say something, but Shaka cut him off. "She's fine, Aioria, and she'll be up and laughing at you as soon as Mu fixes the half a million broken bones she seems to have." He turned a closed-eyed glare on Seiya, "And what are you doing here?"

"I'm gonna break Elektra's damn nose when she wakes up for making us all wait for her," Seiya grumbled, crossing his arms defensively. Shaka rolled his eyes again and Mu coughed discretely into his fist. "I saw that!"

Mu smiled and knelt down in front of Shaka, placing one hand over Shaka's and the other on Elektra's blood-covered forehead. Another gentle glow surrounded her body and something that might have been annoyance crossed Mu's face, "What on earth did she pick a fight with this time?"

Ikki shrugged and leaned against one of the many pillars standing in the temple, "Hell if I know."

Mu shook his head and returned his attention to the girl in front of him. Shaka gave a small smile and placed his free hand over Mu's, "Don't exhaust yourself this time, you still need to repair her cloth, too."

For a few minutes it seemed like the entire temple stood still. Finally the light faded and one of Elektra's hands came up to touch the two rested on her chest. For a moment it could have been a cute scene, but, of course, this was Elektra. She sat fast enough to knock Mu backwards and nearly took Shaka's nose off.

"Calm down, Aruna," Shaka muttered. He pressed two fingers to her forehead with practiced ease, "Stop behaving like a frightened animal." Elektra practically went limp under the gold saint's touch. "Good girl."

"You okay, Kid?" Ushio asked, taking a step towards them.

"Maa, maa," Elektra mumbled, turning a soft smile up at the steel saint. Slowly, using Shaka's shoulder as a brace, she stood up and calmly walked towards Aioria. Without blinking, she bowed her head to the older saint, "I'm sorry for worrying you, nii-san."

"Nii-san?" Shun repeated quietly.

Aioria smiled thinly and pulled Elektra into a tight hug, "Just... try not to do it so much."

"Like that'll happen," Ushio muttered.

Aioria released Elektra and she stepped back, barely having time to smile before Seiya's fist collided with her face hard enough to send her skidding backwards into Ikki. "Seiya!" Aioria snapped, turning on the younger boy and grabbing him by the front if his shirt.

"Don't bother," Elektra grumbled from her spot on the floor. She was sitting against Ikki's legs, rubbing her jaw, "he's a lost cause, nii-san. Just ignore the little punk."

Ikki gave an exasperated grunt and picked Elektra up by the back of her shirt, "Go get yourself cleaned up, brat, then you can pick fights with Seiya." He made sure she could stand properly, then gave her a shove to get her moving, "You smell like a dead animal."

"Probably look like one, too," Elektra grumbled. As she passed Shun she paused and smiled, "Glad you're still here, Shu-chan." She tugged on a chunk of her blood-spattered hair, "Ugh, I look dead. After I get this blood outta my hair, I've got something to show you. And don't worry, I'm not gonna try to murder you."

So Shun found himself waiting outside of Elektra's room (he hadn't realized there even _were_ extra rooms in the temples,) caught in a staring contest with a small dragon statue sitting on a broken pillar in front of him.

"_Whatever she's up to, Shun, don't worry about it. Elektra couldn't hurt you if she wanted to."_

"Ready to go?"

Shun jumped and spun around. Elektra was leaning against the wall, pulling her long scarlet hair into a braid. "You scared me!"

Elektra shrugged and tied a rubber band around the end of her braid and threw it over her shoulder, "You get good at sneaking around when your teacher sleeps so light a pin dropping will wake him up." She smiled and her eyes lit up. Shun blinked. There were two black tears tattooed under her eyes. "C'mon, let's get out of here before Shaka decides to have a relapse of my training days." She grabbed Shun's wrist and led him out a back door in the temple to a path he'd never seen before. "These roads vanish when Sanctuary's in danger," Elektra explained, "They're shortcuts between the temples. These things saved my life, the other Shun's life, too. This road leads right to the Gemini temple."

But they didn't go into the Gemini temple like Shun expected. Instead, Elektra turned off into another, nearly hidden path that led down into a rocky path. A moment later, they emerged into a huge grassy field filled with wild flowers and, in the center was a huge sakura tree in full bloom. It was beautiful.

"But... it's almost winter," Shun muttered.

Elektra grinned, "It's always spring in this valley. It's been like that since I was eleven or twelve, except for the day that we had to attack Sanctuary. Shaka said the whole field died overnight. Shaka brought me out here a year after I started my training," she explained, walking down to the tree, "it was a sort of mini-sanctuary for the students of the gold saints. We came out here whenever we could."

"It's amazing," Shun whispered, placing his hand on the gigantic trunk, "you spent your training here?"

"It was hardly easy," Elektra grumbled. She held up her right hand for Shun to see; it was withered and black, nothing but shiny, black skin clinging to bone half-way up to her elbow. "Of the nine students the gold saints took, I'm the only one left. One died fighting a boy from lower Sanctuary, one, Ashra, was killed by Marik, another of our brothers. He was kicked out later, along with Aphrodite's student, Eos. I killed him fighting Poseidon. Sho, Ushio, and Daichi got kidnapped out from under our noses after Sho got paralyzed," she smirked, "yes, I said paralyzed, fighting Marik. You should see what his legs look like, all cybernetic muscle and wires. And the last one, Rowan..." she closed her eyes, "he got killed saving me."

"Wow..."

"Maa, maa," Elektra shrugged and shook her head, "It's the past, Shu-chan. They're still here, watching over us, same with Aioros and your mom."

"My mom?"

"Kasumi-okaa-san," Elektra smiled, "she's in Elysium with my brothers and the other heroes, watching over us. Your mother is amazing, Shun. I bet you didn't know she's almost as old as Dohko, did you? She helped Shion-sama train I don't know how many generations of gold saints. She was just a student during the last holy war, and after it was over she became the new Virgo saint, kept the post till she handed it over to Shaka, till she fell in love with the guy that should have been your dad." She rapped on the tree with her undamaged fist, "She planted this, too."

"Elektra-san?" Shun asked quietly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Elektra replied, giving him a gentle smile, "I keep no secrets from my brothers, Shu-chan."

Shun pushed his hair out of his face, "Everyone keeps talking about your 'stupid promise'. What...?"

"I can't break promises," Elektra waved offhandedly, "according to your mom, there's one every generation in my family. Aioros was the same way. Something to do with being a Godchild, I don't know the details. But, when we were getting sent out to the different training grounds, I made a promise to Ikki, one that kept me alive during my training and got Rowan killed. I promised him that, no matter what happens, I'll watch over you and protect you. It's one of the reasons the gods are afraid of me, because I have to put everything I have into protecting you, even more so than Athena." She turned to face him and grinned, "It's one of the smarter promises I've made, but everyone calls that one my 'stupid promise'. The other you is the one who gave it the name."

"This world's so strange," Shun muttered, watching Elektra, "everything's just a little different. I've never seen Hyoga smile so much, or Shaka... and the thought of Seiya hitting a girl..."

Elektra actually laughed, threw her head back and laughed, "Hyoga smiles because of you, Shu-chan, and as for Shaka... I had to beat that smile out of him, you know. He's such an arrogant pain in the ass, even Mu admits it. Seiya doesn't count me as a girl. I'd probably be completely out of my element in your world... a place where I couldn't pick fights with Seiya... yeesh."

Shun couldn't help but laugh. There was still something frightening about Elektra, something in the way her eyes sort-of glowed and that hand looked like something out of a horror movie. But, somehow, he was completely relaxed next to her. As she led him back to the temples, she told him just about whatever he asked. About her brothers, about her training in Sanctuary, her rivalry with Seiya, even the fights with Poseidon and Aphrodite, but he couldn't bring himself to ask what he really wanted to.

"Something bugging you, Shu-chan?" Elektra asked as they walked back into the Virgo temple. Mu and Shaka were sitting on the floor of the temple with a pizza and a two liter bottle of soda between them. Shun couldn't help it. He had to stop and stare as Elektra walked over and stole two pieces of pizza from them, pausing to kiss both saints on the top of the head as she did so.

"You can get away with anything, can't you?" Shun asked in amazement.

Elektra shook her head, "I'm not that good. The last time I pissed Shaka off he took away my sight and my hearing for a week, and that was just for hitting him in the face with a snowball." Shun sweatdropped and took a bite of his pizza. "Now, what's bugging you?"

Shun swallowed and turned away from her, "N-nothing..."

Elektra simply inserted herself in his line of sight again, "You're a lousy liar, kid. Now spill."

Shun sighed, "On the way back here... I had a dream about your fight with Aphrodite."

"Oh," Elektra gestured for him to sit down. He obeyed without thought. She slid down onto her knees and sighed, "You saw a boy, didn't you? With pink hair and dead crimson eyes?" Shun nodded. "Someone told you about Aioros' siblings, right?" He nodded again. "Aioria and Shaka are the only ones who know totally what happened that day, and until I can come to terms with it I want it to stay that way. I killed the boy you saw in that dream, Shu-chan, and it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do." A single tear rolled down her tattooed cheek, "Ask Hyoga who Kitsune is." With that she stood up and disappeared into the shadows of the temple, leaving Shun alone in front of his room.

_Later That Night_

"I don't know what worries me more," Mu muttered, "having Elektra out of sync with her brothers or, bear with my rudeness, being stuck with a form of Shun that is neither as strong-willed or ultimately protected as ours is. I have no doubt that he will be able to fill his role, but the fact still stands that he does not have Hades' pendant and, worse yet, he is afraid of his other primary defense."

"Would you stop pacing?" Shaka asked irritably, "This floor's taken enough damage without you walking a hole in it."

"Shaka!"

"Mu, please. You're behaving like Aruna. I don't like our situation any more than you do, but pacing in circles and ranting about it won't do any good. Right now, I'd be more worried about what my light's going to do when she realizes what's going to happen, worse yet what will happen if-" he cut himself off, "Aruna! I _will_ take away your hearing again if you continue to insist on eavesdropping!"

"Hyoga just told me that we're going to be facing another Godchild," Elektra answered, stepping out of the shadows, "And I _know_ I just heard you mention me, Shaka. Now tell me what's going on."

Mu turned to the red-haired girl, "Elektra..."

"Go back to bed, Aruna," Shaka replied blankly, "I'm not in the mood to deal with your-" "Damnit, Shaka! I'm not a child and I've already got my work cut out for me protecting Shun, I don't need your damn ego getting in my way! When are you gonna figure out that keeping secrets from me is a bad idea!"

"She has a valid point, Shaka," Mu interjected, pressing two fingers against Elektra's half-parted lips, "the last time you didn't warn her about something like this you and Ikki nearly died and she did."

"Stay out of this, Mu," Shaka warned.

"No, Shaka, I won't stay out of this," Mu's voice had gone completely flat. Shaka's back stiffened just slightly. "Your pride nearly got you killed once, and this time we're going to be facing something far more powerful than Ares, if what you say is true. Or are you simply afraid because this is the one thing you cannot protect her from?"

"Ouch," Elektra muttered, "that's kinda below the belt, Mu, even for me." Mu had struck a nerve and they all knew it. With practiced calm the man closest to God made a small gesture for his student to sit down in front of him. Elektra obeyed silently and sat down on her knees then, with a resounding crack that would make Mu wince every time he heard it she twisted her legs outward and crossed her arms. With a small smile Mu sat down next to Elektra.

Shaka did something then that Mu and Elektra had never seen, something that reminded them that, whatever airs he put on, Shaka was still human. He pushed his hair behind his ear and sighed, an unintentional imitation of his student, "You've never been one to accept the watered down version of stories, so I'll be blunt with you, Aruna. If you get involved in any of the fights with Chryses, we have absolutely no chance of victory." Elektra's mouth opened and shut several times. "Before you ask, I can't tell you who, or even what, you're going to be facing. Doing that will only make this entire situation impossible for you to deal with."

"Stop treating me like a child!" Elektra snapped, "I can handle it!"

"You're behaving like a child, and thus I will treat you like a child. More than that, I know your heart. When I took you as my student I told you there would be seven turning points in your life. The first was the promise you made to Ikki, the second was when you failed the kill yourself, the third when you chose to go to Death Queen Island, the fourth when you chased after the goddess Aphrodite. Now you're faced with your fifth choice."

"So we're warning me about the turning points now, are we?" Elektra snarled bitterly.

Shaka's eyebrows drew together in annoyance, "Aruna... you and Mu are, in more ways that I would ever be willing to admit, more precious to me than even Athena herself. I couldn't care less what happened to anyone else beyond these walls save for I know it will break your heart to lose your brothers, and that, and much worse, will happen if you choose to fight Chryses. I'm trying to save you from a world of pain if you would calm down and listen to me."

Elektra bit her lower lip hard enough to make it bleed. Shaka had just openly admitted that he not only cared about her as more than his student, but also that he cared for the saint of Aries sitting next to her, but all she could think of was what he had said before that. "What the hell am I supposed to do, Shaka? Sit by and watch my brother fight for their lives? Shaka!"

"I wish I could find a way to solve this, Aruna, but I can't."

Elektra's good hand balled into a fist around the fabric of her pants, "Why? You're not a fortune teller, Shaka, you've gotta have a damn good reason why you know I can't get involved."

Shaka shook his head, "I can't tell you that. You'll know soon enough, Aruna, but I can't tell you."

Mu placed a calming hand on Elektra's fist. The crimson haired girl kept her glare fixed on Shaka but her hand slowly uncurled and wrapped around Mu's, lacing her fingers with his, "Can you at least guarantee that they'll win?"

She knew the answer before Shaka spoke. It was written on his face. "If you interfere, they'll die. If you don't... they may still die. What you're about to face makes the gods look like children in a sand box but, as cheesy as this may sound, you and your brothers are the saints of miracles, saints of hope. If anyone can stop what's going to happen, it's your brothers."

"You're right, that does sound cheesy," she smiled sadly, "but it's more hope than I could have asked for. The gods are terrified of me, even more terrified of Shun, but all of us together could probably upend Zeus and remodel Hades, the way the gods behave. That means there's something good about us, right?"

Shaka gave a small chuckle, "Keep that in mind, my light. Now get to bed. Athena's going to summon us in the morning, and I'd rather you be in a semi-standable mood than raising all hell and making it impossible to do anything."

Elektra nodded and gently kissed the back of Mu's hand before standing up and walking back in the direction of her room. She paused, just out of sight, "Y'know, you two really do behave like a married couple."

"Aruna! Out!"


	4. On DimensionHopping, Darkness, and Mask

_**Warped Reflection  
Chapter 3  
**On Dimension-Hopping, Darkness, and Masks_

The next morning, Shun managed to not send himself into a panic trying to figure out where he was, a first since arriving in t

The next morning, Shun managed to not send himself into a panic trying to figure out where he was, a first since arriving in this strange dimension. After getting dressed, he made his way to Shaka's kitchen with the intention of finding something to eat before they all went to speak with Saori.

Shaka was in the kitchen, wearing his Gold Cloth once again, and next to him was Elektra, clad similarly to the other women of Sanctuary, in shades of pale blue and white, a stark contrast to her black cloth. From the amazing smells drifting from the room, Shun could only guess that she was cooking eggs and bacon.

"Good morning, Shun," Shaka greeted, handing him a cup of tea as he entered the room.

"Morning, Shun," Elektra turned to look at him and Shun was stunned to see her actually wearing a white mask whose sole decorations were its painted blue lips and a scarlet chakra set just above its eyes. It was such a stark difference to Elektra's tanned and tattooed face that Shun almost thought she was a different person. Even her voice, muffled through the mask, was different.

"Morning," Shun said uncertainly. He sat down across from Shaka at the small table occupying the kitchen, "Why...?" he began.

Elektra absently waved the wooden spoon in her hand, "Saori wants us to be ready for anything, hence we're going to be spending a lot of time in our Cloths."

"She has also made it known that she will not tolerate having Elektra in Sanctuary without wearing a mask," Shaka added.

"'I'll tolerate it when you're with the other Bronze Saints only because I would never hear the end of it from Seiya and the others'," Elektra mocked, putting her hands on her hips an an imitation of Saori, "'But as long as we're in Greece you have to behave like _every other female __S__aint_.'" She brandished her egg-covered spoon as she said the last four words, effectively splattering Shun and Shaka with bits of half-cooked egg.

"Aruna," Shaka said patiently as he picked bits off egg out of his hair, "We would greatly appreciate it if we could eat our food instead of wearing it."

Shun gazed sadly at Elektra, "She is our goddess, Elektra-san. We have to obey her laws."

"I'm wearing the damn thing, aren't I?" Elektra asked darkly.

The rest of the morning was spent in silence. Despite bearing the appearance of something that had been burned and mutilated, Elektra's cooking proved to be, while not gourmet, more than enough for a pair of hungry saints.

Shun returned to his room to collect the Andromeda Cloth and came back to find Hyoga, Shiryu, and Seiya waiting for him alongside Elektra. Shiryu and Hyoga seemed to have carefully placed themselves between Elektra and Seiya, keeping them as far apart as possible. The two were making a valiant effort at trying to kill each other with glares alone.

"Shall we go?" Shun asked, smiling as he saw Seiya stick his tongue out at Elektra while she was distracted with petting the small reptile that was wrapped around Shiryu's neck. He did a double take. Yes, there really was a small dragon wrapped around Shiryu's neck.

They were halfway up the steps to the Libra temple when the fighting started.

"Man, you look ridiculous with that thing on your face."

"Don't make me kill you."

Shiryu rolled his sightless eyes and subtly stepped on Seiya's foot to keep him from responding to Elektra's threat. Hyoga put a restraining hand on Elektra's arm. The siblings settled for glaring at each other.

Shun watched with a bemused smile as they tried to attack each other behind Hyoga and Shiryu's backs.

"Could you two _please_ act your age?" Hyoga asked as he grabbed Elektra's hand before she could fire off what looked disturbingly like a miniature Galaxian Explosion at Seiya.

Seiya stuck his tongue out at her again.

"Forget it, Hyoga," Shiryu sighed, "They're both beyond help."

Seiya glared and Shun had no doubt that Elektra's mask was concealing her own murderous glare. They both remained stubbornly silent for the rest of the journey to Athena's temple.

And, truthfully, Shun found himself missing their bickering. Even though it was early morning, Sanctuary suddenly seemed far too quiet. The hidden paths Elektra had pointed out to him earlier were gone.

When they reached Athena's temple, they found Kanon bound and chained to the ground with Milo and Aioria standing guard over him. Kanon gazed dispassionately at the five of them.

"I could have sworn he was dead," Shun murmured.

"Saori saved him," Hyoga replied, glaring at the man.

Aioria met them at the foot of the stairs and hugged Elektra tightly. "Don't take too long," he instructed, looking just to the left of Elektra's masked face, "Are you sure you don't want-"

"I'll be fine, nii-chan," she replied patiently, "All of you need to talk to Saori. I need to ask Kanon some things."

"Alright," Aioria sighed and kissed the top of her head. He and Milo led the rest of the Bronze boys inside where Ikki, the Steel Saints, and the Gold Saints were waiting.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to leave her alone with him?" Milo asked, "I mean..."

"If she can get something useful out of him, it's worth the risk," Aioria replied impassively.

"Just keep telling yourself that," Hyoga muttered under his breath.

Aioria shot him a withering look which Hyoga returned with a glare.

"Where's Elektra?" Saori asked, gazing at each of her saints in turn.

"Negotiaing with Kanon," Seiya replied tonelessly. More than a few people cringed.

Saori gave a tired sigh and turned to Shaka, "I know I've already asked you this, Shaka, but, please, isn't there something we can do?"

Shaka slowly shook his head, "Chryses has been in this dimension for months, Athena. I assume I did not sense him before because he was masking his cosmos."

"It'd be too much to ask for you to have been right, huh?" Milo asked.

"I...None of us sensed him because his power," Shaka paused, brow furrowed in irritation, "Because his power is so immense that it literally blinded us. We were like ants trying to look at and comprehend the gods."

"There has to be something," Ushio mused, "We've beaten the gods before, haven't we?"

"Chryses is more than _just_ a god, Ushio. Even for a Godchild destined to surpass the gods, his power is insane."

"Couldn't we just send him back to his own dimension?" Seiya suggested.

"That's probably what Elektra is thinking," Shiryu mused.

Shun shook his head, eyes glazed over just slightly, "He'd only come back." All eyes in the room turned to look at the young Saint. Shun shrank back, "I...He can jump from dimension to dimension at will. Either we kill him or...Or we'll be killed."

Suddenly, the early morning light drifting into the temple wavered, then died entirely and Sanctuary was plunged into darkness. There was a brief moment of panic as everyone tried to understand what happened. An exasperated sigh came from somewhere near the wall and a bright gold light erupted from that general area. The prayer beads wrapped around Shaka's arm were glowing.

"Did Elektra do that?" Aioria asked, glancing around warily.

"Even _if_ Elektra was powerful enough to douse every source of light in Sanctuary," Ikki rolled his eyes, "There's no way she'd do it. Even accidentally."

"And what reason would I possibly have to help you?"

"Because I'll cut your testicles off and feed them to you if you don't?" Elektra suggested mildly, her face, no longer hidden behind its mask, completely impassive. Had this not been Virgo Shaka's student and were she not very patiently tapping a fairly wicked looking knife against her arm, Kanon might have laughed. But, since this was the student of Virgo Shaka and she _was_ tapping that particular blade against her arm, Kanon settled for trying to make sure that anything valuable was not within cutting distance.

He could very easily remember a ten year old Shaka threatening to cut his hair off while he slept if he insisted on interrupting his meditation again. Kanon had not believed him until he sat up one morning and his hair stayed behind on the pillow. And if this little red haired girl was anything like her mentor (or her siblings, for that matter), then he could be in trouble.

This fact did not, however, stop him from being an insufferable bastard. He laughed. "You look just like Aiolos," he sniggered, "That creepy 'not a glare' he used to give me back when we were kids."

And just like that, Kanon was on his back, the side of his face stinging and one eye watering painfully.

"Don't poison my brother's name," Elektra warned, still unerringly calm, "With your vile tongue, snake."

Kanon stared up at her with a mixture of surprise and bemusement; her blazing green eyes the only sign at all that she was anything but serene. Yes, she was definitely Virgo Shaka's student, and chained and bound as he was, even a Bronze Saint like her could be dangerous.

But there was something in that look, in the way she spoke to him. He only laughed harder, "And you talk just like my brother!"

He waited for the blow, but it never came. Elektra knelt down so she was on eye level with him. At this close range, he could just barely see the beginnings of the same crimson ring around her irises that he had seen in Aiolos years ago.

"Just tell me how to get my Shun back and get this thing out of our dimension," she said casually, eyes blazing and her knife rested ever so slightly against the inside of his thigh.

"Aren't you supposed to be the good twin?" Kanon prodded, grinning wickedly, "You remind me more of me, really." Elektra stumbled backward in surprise. She had not realized that Kanon knew about that, even if it was only logical. "Granted, I never really met you other half. What _did_ you do to him, anyway?"

Elektra dove at him, blade forgotten in favor of her fists, and Sanctuary plunged into darkness.

Kanon reached blindly to block her attack on instinct, only to have Elektra readily collapse into his arms when he caught her. He held her still, trying to take stock of what had just happened. Even though she did nothing else, not struggle or try to hide against his chest, he could not help but stare in surprise at the young girl in his arms. "You're scared of the dark," he murmured.

'Or afraid of what's in the dark,' a small voice in the back of his mind (one that sounded irritatingly simling to Saga) reminded him.

"Elektra," he said, tilting her face up to look at him ,"Listen to me. We're in deep shit, understand? There isn't a god in existence that can hop dimensions like this bastard can." He paused. His head was pounding and something was pulling relentlessly at his mind. "He's trying to pull…"

He trailed off. That pounding was not coming from inside his head. It was outside. Drums. All around them the sound of drums filled the silence that had encompassed Sanctuary. Toneless, angry, without rhythm or remorse, they beat out an endless, mindless sound to make ears bleed and hearts break.

"He's trying to separate us," Kanon rushed on, urgency lacing his voice, "Get back to your brothers. Tell Mu to set his Crystal Wall around the temple." He felt his body flicker in and out of existence. "The more he destroys the stronger he'll get!"

He vanished entirely, leaving Elektra alone in the dark, the sound of the drums pressing down on her. The darkness wrapped around Elektra, tightening around her neck, pulling at her skin and hair…

She bolted, instinct alone carrying her back to Athena's chamber and to the safest thing her terrified mind could think of. Shaka's arm around her and her fingers wrapped around his rosary, she shouted to Mu to set up a Crystal Wall around them.

Kiki gave a small yelp as he was pushed into Elektra's arms and, holding him tight, she whispered a prayer as everything went black.


End file.
